by Lawren Ussery

Oh, the Holidays. The time when we get together for mirth, merrymaking, and good eats. I’ve been reading lately about how bad the holiday excesses are for the environment (increases in paper/plastic trash, food waste, and gasoline). The cool thing is that there are many ways to offset your projected Thanksgiving excesses. Here are a few super easy ideas to decrease your ecological footprint this holiday.

Get a Heritage Turkey. Unlike the mass produced Broad Breasted (Butterball) variety, Heritage Turkeys are free range and help mitigate farmers’ pest problems, decreasing the need for pesticides. Oh yeah - they taste better than grocery store turkeys, too.

Buy Veggies Locally. Buying local produce not only supports your region’s economy, it also reduces emissions produced by trucks transporting produce across state lines. If there is no weekly Farmer’s Market near you, check out Local Harvest’s website. Plug your zip code into Local Harvest’s website and find the grower/producer near you for almost any type of produce. Most of the farms listed on their site are organic and sustainable (an extra bonus).

Dole out Leftovers to Guests Like It’s Going Out of Style. Ok, so this one is a no brainer for most (unless your holiday crowd manages to eat all that yumminess in one night). If not, get (recyclable) to-go boxes ready for your guests to pile up the leftovers with. If you’re a guest, bring your own to-go boxes in case the opportunity arises. Not only does this save you from post-holiday cooking, it reduces food waste.

You don’t have to stress and implement all of these ideas; even choosing just one makes a difference. For more ideas on a Green Thanksgiving, click here.

Happy Thanksgiving from the BIG Folio Team!